Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) is a DNA sequencing technique that sequences “all” of an organism’s DNA. This includes protein-coding regions (exons) as well as regulatory regions called introns that are interspersed with those exons and intergenic (between gene) regions – some of which have known regulatory functions and others of which scientists are still trying to figure out what (if anything) they do. WGS contrasts with Whole Exome Sequencing (WGS) which only sequences the parts of DNA with protein instructions (the coding regions called exons) – basically, it sequences DNA versions of messenger RNA.
